Please Help - Honda Civic 1.7 CTDi engine warning. (Cross post from alt.autos.honda)

Hi,

Just when I'm skint my super reliable 2002 Honda CTDi has developed a fault.

Five minutes after starting from cold when accelerating around a wide bend in 3rd gear the engine warning lamp came on. The accelerator would not lift the revs above about 2200 rpm. This was true when in gear or in neutral. It's done just under 71000 miles. Three weeks ago it fully passed it's MOT (roadworthy checks + emission checks). Fuelfilter was changed at the last but one service so one is due at the next.

It looks like it was in limp home mode. It's changed now though - after leaving it overnight the engine warning lamp is still on when the car is running but the car will now happily rev as normal. Presumably there is still something wrong.

With little other info I'm assuming it's an exhaust detector fault of some sort. What would be the cheapest way to get any ecu fault codes read ? Presumably manufactureres have their own interface and comms codes or is there an industry standard (eg connector pinouts and codes etc ?) Might it be possible to get software and a laptop interface lead to connect to it ?

There is a section of the exhaust pipe that looks like it might be a CAT converter (it's about 8 inches long with metal thin strips, cross platted around the outside.) When tapped it has a slight rattling sound from inside. Is there an emission detector after the CAT (assuming it is one ???) I've had a good look underneath and can find no detectors so assuming there is some form of emission sensor it must be close to the exhaust manifold (???)

My next step is to look for any detector and test it and try and get any fault codes read (without spending a fortune). I read somewhere about car's computers forgetting any fault code conditions after the car has been started three times - sound like a myth or crap design ? I wondered, if it is true, if that is why the revs are now ok.

Are there any simple tests I can do to try and diagnose what the problem is and how to fix it ?

Thanks in Advance - any helpful suggestions would be most gratefully received.

Regards,

Bob

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Forget computer codes, they will show the exhaust sensor at fault or an emission problem. It is a broken MAF sensor causing too much diesel to go in that triggers the errors. This will also cause boost to be dumped - giving no power. A faulty MAF sensor will tell the computer you're accelerating like mad, so it sends lots of diesel in and the turbo starts venting off air. The exhaust sensor goes wild thinking your engine is a smog machine. Order a new MAF sensor, it is in the pipe near the air filter housing. That will fix it, improve performance and economy. Remove any K&N type filter or induction kit as a paper filter is miles better at "filtering" and has a much bigger surface area. Oil on K&N type filters ruins MAF sensors on lots of cars and your engine/turbo will not last as long due to the unfiltered rubbish sandblasting the insides! They do allow a higher flow, but of unfiltered air. In a turbo car it is important to filter incoming air to a high standard - which is why paper filters are used. Cars never use as much air as the filter can flow anyway, that's just another urban legend - like the 10p resistors on ebay that sell to idiots for £30 to "improve performance"! I can guarantee your car will not forget there is a fault, it will get worse.

Reply to
Rob

Despite this "replace the part anyway before considering the evidence" HAVE THE CODES READ FIRST!!

Tim..

Reply to
Tim..

Isn't Rob the 'Tiscali Idiot'? - in which case, I'd advise the OP to ignore everything he posted.

Reply to
SteveH

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